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Simple Easy Stuffed Courgette / Zucchini Flowers

I love Courgette Flowers (Zucchini Flowers). There’s something about them that just makes me think of long summer days in Italy… maybe because the first time we ate them was in Varazze Italy and a few days later on a long lazy afternoon in Rome. Some years ago we were camping in Switzerland but the nearest market was in a small town in Italy, so we drove there for fresh vegetables a few times, and picked up a big bag of courgettes attached to the flower. We took it back to the camp site and prepared our own stuffed courgettes. They are so delicious, I’m sharing the recipe with you as now is the time for them!

Courgette

We have two courgette plants, two pumpkins and a marrow. Between them they make loads of flowers, but not enough for us to have a family meal off one crop, so I recently discovered that we can actually freeze the flowers. Just pick them, wash them and lay them on a tray without touching anything else. Pop them in the freezer for an hour or so, then transfer into a sealed container.

When you’re ready to eat them, take them out the freezer about 10 minutes before you need them. They’re so thin the defrost in minutes.

You can stuff courgette flowers with pretty much anything you like. We love mozzarella and anchovy, even if you don’t like anchovy, it’s great… it really just adds a bit of saltiness, which is delicious.

The secret with frying your courgette flowers is in having the tempura batter really cold. Once it’s mixed, split the batter between two bowl. Put one in the freezer, and use other to dip one round of courgette flowers. Swap bowls, and use the next bowl for the next round, then swap back. It may seem a faff, but having the batter ice cold makes it crispy and light, which is really what you want for this summer delicacy.

Simple Easy Stuffed Courgette / Zucchini Flowers
Recipe Type: Main, Starter
Cuisine: Foraged, Italian
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 15 – 20 Flowers
  • Batter
  • 1 egg
  • 250g very very cold water
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 100g all-purpose flour
  • Filling
  • 100g mozzarella
  • 5 anchovies
Instructions
  1. Hold each flower under a cold running tap. This helps open it up while washing it.
  2. Set aside to dry.
  3. In your food processor, add the egg, water, baking soda and flour.
  4. Mix until it’s all blended (10 seconds, speed 5)
  5. Put it in the freezer
  6. Mix your filling and scoop into a piping bag
  7. Gently fill each flower from the piping bag, and ever so gently twist the top of the flower to contain the filling.
  8. Heat the oil
  9. Pour half of the batter into a different bowl and return it to the freezer.
  10. Take two – four flowers (depending on the size of your pot of oil) and dip in the cold batter, before putting in the oil.
  11. Fry the flowers until they are golden.
  12. Return the batter to the freezer and swap.
  13. Dip the flowers, remove the cooked flowers and put them aside to drain.
  14. Repeat until all the flowers are done. Remember the colder the batter the better and each batch of flowers should cook in 3 – 4 minutes.
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Marrow Or Courgette / Zucchini Soup Recipe

Courgette Soup

I’m quite fond of courgette (zucchini), lightly fried with anchovy and pine nut, or steamed, or frittered, but it took getting a 3.5kg (7lb7oz) courgette from a friend of mine recently to get me to try courgette soup, and it is without doubt my favourite soup ever, hands down.

Courgette Soup

It is so simple to make too, that it can actually be whizzed up in no time. If you need a quick and delicious dinner, and don’t know what to do with that end of season marrow, zucchini or courgette surplus, look no further. If you don’t love it, I’ll … well, I’ll eat it!

Personally, I adore this with some cream, but if you’re trying to keep the calories down, I find it quite fresh and thoroughly enjoyable with some salt and pepper.

This also freezes very well,

Courgette Soup/ Zucchini Soup
Recipe Type: Soup, Main, Side, Starter
Cuisine: Autumn Food
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 5
I can not stop talking about this soup. I’m not a huge soup fan, and eat it largely out of ease or need, but this soup? Well, it can move in, quite frankly! I love it. Serve with fresh home made bread (or not) and top with dehydrated courgette strips, or perhaps crispy bacon.
Ingredients
  • 700g courgette / zucchini /marrow
  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp stock or a stock cube and 2 cups water (or 2 cups liquid stock, I prefer chicken but veggie works too)
  • 1 cup cream (250ml or a 240ml pot will be fine) = 240g (optional)
Instructions
Regular Instructions
  1. Roughly chop the marrow and onion, and pop in a food processor. If you like chunky chewy soups, lightly blend leaving chunks, if you like a smooth drinkable soup, keep it going for a while.
  2. Add the stock and water, and bring to the boil.
  3. Simmer for 15 minutes
  4. Stir in cream, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and either dehydrated courgette, crispy bacon or croutons, or eat as is, with our without thick chunks of bread and butter.
Thermomix Instructions
  1. Add the onion and garlic and mix speed 10, 10 seconds
  2. Slice the courgette and place in the Thermomix.
  3. Add the stock and water and cook speed 2/Varoma/15 mins
  4. Check the texture. If you like chunky chewy soups, lightly blend leaving chunks, if you like a smooth drinkable soup, keep it going 60 seconds, speed 5.
  5. Stir in cream, if using, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and either dehydrated courgette, crispy bacon or croutons, or eat as is, with or without thick chunks of bread and butter.